Gun-type flashlight holder



Aug. 23, 1955 T. E. O'NEIL GUN-TYPE FLASHLIGHT HOLDER Filed June 3, 1952 INVENTOR Thomas E O'Neil 2,715,184 Patented Aug. 23, 1955 free GUN-TYPE FLASHLEGHT HOLDER Thomas E. ONeil, Southern Pines, N. C.

Application June 3, 1952, Serial No. 291,544

9 Claims. (Ci. 24--52.5}

The present invention relates to toy guns of the electric flashlight type, and more particularly to handles that may be combined with standard and conventional electric flashlights of the barrel type to produce such toy guns.

It is the general object of the present invention to provide a handle of simple and economical construction and arrangement that may be detachably secured in a ready manner to the barrel of a standard and conventional electric flashlight of the type noted, without special tools or fixtures, in order to provide a composite toy gun of the flashlight type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a toy gun of the type noted that is of rugged construction and that comprises a minimum number of simple parts.

Further features of the invention pertain to the particular arrangement of the elements of the toy gun, whereby the above-outlined and additional operating features are attained.

The invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following specification taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view of one form of toy gun of the flashlight type embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the toy gun, taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 22 in Fig. 1, illustrating the detail of the arrangement for detachably securing together the elements thereof;

Fig. 3 is another vertical sectional view of the toy gun, taken in the direction of the arrows along the line 33 in Fig. 1, illustrating the detail of the trigger thereof;

Fig. 4 is a further sectional view of the toy gun, taken in the direction of the arrows along the lines 4-4 in Fig. 1, illustrating the detail of the pistol-grip handle thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a reduced side elevational view of a modified form of the toy gun of the type noted, also embodying the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing, the toy gun there illustrated, and embodying the features of the present invention, comprises an electric flashlight 11 of the barrel type that is preferably of standard and conventional construction and arrangement; which flashlight 11 includes an elongated substantially cylindrical barrel 12 terminating at the front end thereof in a removable head 13 and terminating at the rear end thereof in a removable cap 14. The head 13 is provided with the usual electric lamp bulb, not shown, rear reflector, not shown, and front lens, not shown; while the barrel 12 houses the usual plurality of electric dry cell batteries, not shown, and carries an electric control switch that is provided with an operating member in the form of a pushbutton 16. The cap 14 prepares the electric circuit, not shown, between the electric lamp bulb and the batteries in series relation through the control switch 15 in the usual manner, so that the illumination of the electric lamp bulb may be selectively governed by the control switch 15. Specifically, the

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pushbutton 16 is biased outwardly actuating the control switch 15 into its off position; and the pushbutton 16 may be manually depressed inwardly against the bias mentioned to actuate the control switch 15 into its on position; all in a conventional manner.

Also, the toy gun 10 comprises a handle 17 including a downwardly projecting pistol-grip body portion 18 terminating adjacent to the upper end thereof in a cradle 19 adapted to receive and to support the adjacent lower portion of the barrel 12, the cradle 19 being substantially semi-cylindrical in transverse cross-section and provided with three outwardly and upwardly directed tines or projections 20 and 21, two of the tines 20 being disposed on one side of the barrel 12 and one of the tines 21 being disposed on the opposite side of the barrel 12, the tine 21 being arranged intermediate the two tines 20. Preferably the body portion 18 of the handle 17 has a substantially I-shaped cross-section, as illustrated in Fig. 4, for the dual purposes of conserving material and of lending rigidity thereto so that it includes a central web 22 and a boundary flange 23.

Also a trigger guard 24 is provided on the body portion 18 that extends between the front of the cradle 19 and the intermediate front portion of the flange 23 so as to define a finger-receiving opening 25 through the upper front of the body portion 18 disposed below the cradle 19. An elongated longitudinally extending recess 26 is provided in the upper portion of the cradle 19 that is adapted to receive the control switch 15; and a connecting opening 27 is provided in the central portion of the recess 26 that is adapted to receive the pushbutton 16. Finally, a normally bowed trigger 28 is provided in the fingerreceiving opening 25 adjacent to the upper front portion of the flange 23, the lower end of the trigger 28 being firmly anchored in the flange 23, and the upper end of the trigger 28 terminating in a rolled head 29 disposed immediately below the opening 27 and engaging the lower end of the pushbutton 16. Preferably the trigger 28 is of ribbon-like construction being formed of a short section of spring steel.

The flashlight 11 and the handle 17 are detachably secured together by an arrangement including an elastic band 30 that may comprise a continuous steel coil spring or may be formed of rubber, or the like; the opposite ends of the band 30 cooperating with the extremities of the tines 20 and 21. Specifically, the outer end of each of the tines 20 and 21 may be downwardly curved to provide appropriate hooks to receive the elastic band 30 in a stretched condition, so that the elastic band 30 securely retains the flashlight 11 and the handle 17 in assembled relation. Preferably the entire handle 17, with the exception of the trigger 28 carried thereby, is formed of a suitable molded synthetic plastic material, such as one of the resins: cellulose-acetate-butyrate, phenol-formaldehyde,

methyl-methacrylate, polystyrene, etc.

In assembling the toy gun 113 the control switch 15 carried by the barrel 12 of the flashlight 11 is arranged over the cradle 19 so that it is aligned with respect to the recess 26 and so that the pushbutton 16 projects downwardly through the opening 27 into engagement with the bead 29 carried by the trigger 28. In this position the elastic band 31) is stretched over the barrel 12 to engage the tines 2i and 21 and to embrace the upper portion of the barrel 12. At this time the body portion 18 of the handle 17 may be supported and gripped by the hand of the user in the manner of a pistol; and the user may squeeze the trigger 28 with his forefinger projected through the finger-receiving opening 25 so as to cause the bead 29 carried at the upper end of the trigger 28 to depress the pushbutton 16 in order to actuate the control switch 15 from its off position into its on position bringing about the illumination of the electric 3 lamp bulb carried in the head 13 of the flashlight 11. Of course, when the trigger 28 is released it is returned to its normal bowed configuration due to the resiliency thereof, so that the control switch15 is actuated back into its off position. v

Referring now to Fig; 5, a modified form of the toy gun 50 is illustrated that also embodies the features of the present invention; which toy gun 50 is essentially of the same construction and arrangement as that of the toy gun 10 described above, except that the handle 51 thereof that terminates in the cradle 52 that receives the barrel 53 of the flashlight 54 is provided with a rearwardly extending shoulder stock 55 that may be formed integrally therewith; whereby the toy gun 50 is of the general format of a gun of the carbine type. Preferably the body portion of the handle 51 and the stock 55 are of the one-piece molded plastic construction previously described.

In view of the foregoing, it is apparent there has been provided an improved toy gun that may take the form of a pistol, carbine, etc.; whichtoy gun essentially comprises a unitary handle detachably secured by an elastic band, or the like, to a standard and conventional electric flashlight of the barrel type; whereby the composite toy gun may be readily produced by a child employing the prefabricated handle and any standard and conventional flashlight of the barrel type, all without special tools or fixtures. Of course it will be understood that the composite toy gun is not only useful as a plaything for a child, but it may be employed by him in developing skills in marksmanship simulating conditions encountered in the utilization of firearms.

While there has been described what is at present considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made therein, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A toy gun comprising an electric flashlight including a longitudinally extending barrel carrying an electric control switch provided with apush button operating member, a laterally extending handle disposed below said flashlight and including a longitudinally extending cradle having an open top and engaging said barreland receiving said push button operating member, a trigger carried by said-handle and including a resilient bowed ribbon one end of which is anchored in said handle and the other end of whiclris disposed in cooperating relation with and adjacent to the end of said push button operating member, and means for detachably securing together said flashlight and said handle, said trigger being manually operable to actuate said push button operating member so as to govern said control switch.

2. The toy gun set forth in claim 1', wherein said handle is provided with a pistol-grip body portion adapted to be grasped by the user.

3. The toy gun set forth in claim 1, wherein said handle terminates in a longitudinally and rearwardly projecting shoulder-stock adapted to engage the shoulder of the user.

4. The toy gun set forth in claim 1, wherein said securing means essentially comprises a plurality of projections carried by said cradle adjacent to the open top thereof and an elastic band engaging said projections and embracing the adjacent portion of said barrel.

5. The toy gun set forthin claim 2, wherein said handle carries a trigger-guard extending between the inter- 4 mediate front portion of said pistol-grip body portion and the lower front portion of said cradle and providing a finger-receiving opening disposed adjacent to and forwardly of said trigger.

6. A handle adapted to receive and to support an electric flashlight provided with a longitudinally extending barrel carrying an electric control switch and a push button operating member therefor in order to produce a composite toy gun, said handle comprising a laterally extending pistol-grip body terminating at the upper portion thereof in a longitudinally extending cradle having an open top and arranged to receive the adjacent lower portion of the barrel of the flashlight, said cradle having a recess and a connecting opening formed therein and adapted respectively to receive the electric control switch carried by the barrel and the push button operating member therefor, a trigger carried by said body adjacent to the lower end of said opening and including a resilient bowed ribbon one endof which is anchored in said handle and the other end of which is adapted to be disposed in cooperating relation with and adjacent to the end of said push button operating member, said trigger being manually operable to actuate the push button operating member in order to govern the control switch when the flashlight is positioned in said cradle, and a plurality of projections carried by' said cradle and adapted to cooperate.

with the barrel for the purpose of detachably securing together said handle and the flashlight.

7. The toy gun handle set forth in claim 6, wherein said body and said cradle and said projections constitute a one-piece molded plastic structure.

8. The toy gun handle set forth in claim 7, wherein said body has a substantially I-shaped' cross-section] 9. A toy gun comprising in combination, an electric flashlight including a longitudinally extending barrel carrying an electric control switch provided with a push button operating member intermediate the ends of said barrel, a laterally extending handle disposed below said flashlight and including a longitudinally extending cradle having an open topreceiving the adjacent lower portion of said barrel, said'cradle having a recess and a connect-- ing opening formed therein respectively receiving said electric control switch carried by said barrel and'said push button operating member therefor, a trigger carried by said body adjacent tothelower end of said opening and comprising a resilient bowed ribbon one end of which is anchored in said handle and the other end of which is disposed in cooperating relation-with and adjacent to the end of said push button operating, member,

said trigger being manually operable to actuate said push button operating member in order to govern said control.

switch, and a plurality of projections carried by said cradle and cooperating with said barrel for detachably securing together said handle and saidflashlight.

References Cited in the file of this. patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Johnson July 7, 

